The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

❧: The Booke of the Prophet Abacuk.

A complaynt agaynst Israel.

CAPI. I.

THys is the heuy bur∣then / whiche [unspec A] the Prophet Aba∣cuk dyd se. O Lorde howe long shal I cry, & thou wylt not hea∣re? ‡ Howe lōge shal I cōplaine vnto y^• / suf∣frīge wrōge, and y^• wylt not helpe? why let∣rest thou me se wermes & labour ‡ Tiranny and vyolence are before me, power ouer∣goeth righte: for the lawe is toarue in pe∣ces, & there cā not ryght iudgment go forth. And why? the vngodly is more set by then [unspec B]

the rightuous: this is the cause, that wrōge iudgmēt procedeth. Beholde, amonge the Heathē, & loke wel, wōdre at it, & be abashed for I wyl do a thynge in your tyme / whiche though it be tolde you, ye shall not beleue.

For lo / I wyl rayse vp the Caldees / that bitter and swyfte people: which shall go as wyde as y^• lande is, to take possessiō of dwel¦ling places, y^• be not theyr owne. A grimme and boysterous people is it / these shal sit in iudgment & punishe. Their horses are swif∣ter then the cattes of the mountayne / & byte [unspec C] sorer then y^• wolues in the euenyng. Their horsmen come by great heapes from farre / they ••le hastely to deuour as the Aegle. They come all to spoyle: out of them commeth an east wynde, whiche bloweth and gathereth their captyues, lyke as the sande. They shal mocke the kinges, and laugh the princes to scorne. They shal not set by any strong hol∣de, for they shal lay ordynaunce agaynste 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and take it. Then shall they take a fresh co∣rage vnto thē, to go forth & to do more euil, and so ascrybe the power vnto their God.

But thou O Lorde my God ‡ my holy one, thou art from the begynnyng, therfore shal we not dye. O Lorde, thou hast ordened them for a punyshement, and set them to re∣proue the myghtye. Thyne eyes are clene / [unspec D] thou mayest not se euyll, thou canste not be∣holde the thynge that is wycked. Wher∣fore then dost thou loke vpon the vngodly / and holdest thy tunge / when the wicked de∣uoureth the man that is better thē him self? Thou makest mē as the fyshe in the see / and lyke as the crepynge beastes / that haue no gyde, they take vp all with theyr angle they catch it in their net, & gather it in the yarne: wherof they reioice and are glad. Therfore offre they vnto theyr net / and do sacryfyee vnto theyr yarne: because that thorowe it their poreyon is become so fat, & their meat so plenteous. Wherfore / they caste oute their net agayne / and neuer cease to steye the people.

¶ Of the vision of the prophete. Against pollyng, couetous∣nes, and I••ol••••tye

CAPI. II.

I STODE vpon my watche / and set me vpon my bul worcke / to loke and se [unspec A] what he wolde saye vnto me, and what an∣swere. I shulde geue hym that reproued me. But the Lorde answered me / and sayde:

Wryte the vysyon playuely vpon thy ta∣bles / that who so commeth by / maye rede it for the vysyon is yet farre of for a tyme / but at the laste it shal come to passe / and not fayle. And though he tary, yet wayte thou for him, for in very dede he wyll come / & not be slacke. Beholde, who so wyll not beleue / his soule shall not prospere: but y^• iust shal lyue by hys fayth. Lyke as the wyne discea∣ueth the dronckarde, euen so the proude shal [unspec B] fayle & not endure. He openeth hys desyre wyde vp as the hell / and is as vnse••yable as death. All Heathen gathereth he to him / and heapeth vnto hym all people.

But shal not all these take vp a prouerbe agaynst him, & mocke him with a byworde, & saye: Wo vnto him that heapeth vp other mens goodes? How longe wyll he lade him selfe w^t thicke claye? O howe soddenly wyll they stāde vp, that shall byte, & awake, that shal teare y^• in peces? yee, thou shalt be their praye. Seinge y^• hast spoyled many Hea∣then / therfore shal the remnaunt of the peo∣ple spoyle the: because of mens bloude, & for the wrong done in the lande / in the cyty and vnto all them that dwell therin.

Wo vnto hym, that couetously gathe∣reth euyl gotten goodes into his house: that he maye set his neste an hye, to escape from the power of mysfortune. Thou hast deuy∣sed the shame of thine owne house, for y^• hast [unspec C] slayne to much people, and hast wilfully of∣fended: so that the very stones of the wall shall crye out of it, and the tymbre that lieth betwyxte the ioyntes of the buyldyng shall answere. Wo vnto hym, that buyldeth the towne with bloude, & maynteneth the cytye with vnryghtuousnes. Shall not the Lord of hos••es bring this to passe, that the labou∣res of the people shall be brent with a great fyre, & that the thyng wher vpon the people haue werted thē selues, shal be lost? For y^• earth shalbe full of knowledge of y^• Lordes honoure, lyke as the waters y^• couer the see. Wo vnto hym that geueth his neyghboure [unspec D] dryncke, to get him wrothful displeasure for his dronckennes: ‡ that he may se his preui∣tyes. Therfore with shame shalt thou be fil∣led, in steade of honour. Drinke thou also / ty•• thou slōber with all: for the cuppe of the Lordes right hande shal cōpas the about / & shameful spewyng i steade of thy worshipe. For the wronge y^• thou hast done in Lyba∣nus, shall ouerwhelme the, & the wylde bea∣stes shall make the afrayed because of mens bloude, & for the wronge done in the lāde / in the cyty, and vnto al such as dwell therin.

What helpe then wyll the ymage do. whō the worckmā hath fashioned? Or the vayne cast ymage / wherin because the craftesman putteth his trust, therfore maketh he dōme

Idols? Wo vnto him / that sayeth to a pece of wod: aryse, & to a dōme stone: stāde vp. For what istruccion may such one giue? Beholde it is layde ouer w^t gold & siluer, & there is no breth in it. But the Lorde in his holy tem∣ple is he, whom al the worlde shulde feare.

¶ A prayer of the Prophete Aba••ue for the ignoraunt.

CAPI. III.

O Lord, whē I herde speke of the I was [unspec A] afrayed. The worke y^• thou hast taken in hāde, shalte y^u perfourme in his tyme, O Lord & when thy tyme cōmeth, y^u shalt decla¦re it. In thy very wrath y^u thynckest vpon mercy. God commeth from Theman, & the holy one frō the mount of Phatan. Selah.

His glory couereth the heuens, & the earth is ful of his prayse. His shine is as the sōne, & beames of lyght go out of his hādes / there is power hyd. Destruccion goeth before hī / and burnyng cressettes go frō his fete. He [unspec B] standeth, and measureth the earth. He loketh and the people cōsume away / the moūtaines of the worlde fal downe to poulder, and the hylles are fayne to bowe them selues, for his goinges are euerlastynge and sure.

I sawe, y^e the pauilyons of the Morians and the tētes of the lāde of Madiā were vexed for werynesse. Wast y^u not angry, O Lord, in the waters? was not thy wrath in the stoudes and thy displeasure in the see? yes, whē thou fattest vpon thyne horse, and when thy cha∣re••t{is} had the victory. Thou shewest thy how openly / lyke as y^• haddest promysed with an othe vnto the trybes. Selah.

Thou dydst deuyde y^• waters of y^• earth. When the mountaynes sawe the / they were afrayed, the water streame went away: the depe made a noyse at the lyftyng vp of thyn [unspec C] hande. The Sūne and Moue remayned styl in their habitacion. Thine arowes went out glisteryng, and thy speares as the shyne of the lyghtnyng. Thou trodest downe the lande in thyne angre, and dydest thressh the Heathen in thy displeasure. Thou camest forth to helpe thy people, to helpe anoī¦ted. Thou smotest downe the heade of the house of the vngodly, & discoueredst hys foū¦daciōs, euen vnto the necke of hym. Selah.

Thou cursest his septers / the Captayne of his mē of warre: whych come as a stormy wynde to scatre me abrode, & are glad when they may eat vp the pore secretly. Thou ma∣kest away for thyne horses in the see, euen in the mudde of great waters. When I heare this, my body is vexed, my lyppes trible at the voyce therof, my bones corrupte, I am afrayed where I stāde, O that I myght rest in the daye of trouble, that I myght go vp vnto our people, which are alredy prepared

For the fyg trees shal not be grene, & the vynes shall beare no frute. The labour of y^• olyue shalbe 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lost, & the lande shall bring no corne: th•• ••hepe shalbe taken out of y^• fold and there shalbe no catel in the stalles. But as for me / I wyll be glad in the Lorde, and wyl reioyce in God my sauiour. The Lord God is my strength, he shall make my fete as the fete of hertes: & he whiche geueth the vyctory, shal bryng me to my hye places syn gyng vpon my psalmes.

¶ The ende of the Prophe eye of Abacue.

Notes

• ‡

  Psal, 2••. ••▪
• ‡

  Iob, xix. a.
• Eccle. iiii. a▪
• Actes xiii. d
• Deut. 28. ••.
• Soph. iii. ••
• ‡

  Esa xivi. a. 2. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 28. •• Psal ••9 c. Esaye. ••. ••.
• Iere xii. ••. Ps••••••, 7. ••.
• Da••i. ix. d.
• Hebr••. ••••
• Roma. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Gol••. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Heb▪ ••. 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• Pro. xxx. ••
• ••bdy. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• Esay••. b. •• ••bdy. ••. ••.
• Luk. xi••. ••▪
• Ezec. 24, •• Naū. ••▪ •• •• Mich. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••
• ‡

  Exod. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Num. 14 •• Esaye. ••••••
• Gene. ix. ••
• Ier••mi▪ ••▪ •• ••••dy▪ ••▪ ••▪
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. xi. ••
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ix. ••.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 46. ••
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. x. c.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. xi. ••
• Psa. xviii ••